It’s been a wild past few weeks, so I’ve been self-medicating with Mohawk Lodge’s “Making Music,” a lithe and oddly optimistic track for these drowsy folksters. “At any rate, we’re dying/Why not drown ourselves in song?” Couldn’t have put it better myself.
(Buy the CD at Scratch Records.)
The Coral Sea
The Los Angeles area has recently spawned a new breed of rock bands defined by androgynous vocals, haunting guitar work, and fragile melodies which often crash into walls of sound. Autolux and the Silversun Pickups are among the stand outs. If you’re a fan, welcome to your next favorite band, Santa Barbara-based The Coral Sea. And here’s why I like 3hive: I can shut up now and let the band prove my point.
History Invades
What’s the difference between History Invades and any other post-punk band with that frenetic, angular sound you either love or hate? THE COMPUMAN. Who dat, you ask? Not so much a “who” as a “what” or a monolithic “it.” If there is a recurring theme to the song titles, lyrics, and moods found on History Invades’ The Structure of a Precise Fashion it’s THE COMPUMAN: the band’s embodiment of the pervasive hand of multinational corporations, monopolies, and omnimedia…real upbeat kinda stuff. So, while Bloc Party use their tense rhythms and wiry guitar licks as a stark backdrop to warm, human emotions, History Invades use similar techniques to sound a warning cry — which comes out as cheeky yet ominous refrains like, “Make room for computer know-how…” Have a nice weekend.
Hopewell
Jason Russo was in Mercury Rev around the time that the be-yoo-tee-ful Deserter’s Songs was released to much joy. It shows all over “Safe As Milk,” a euphoric guitar hymn that could be called “indie gospel” (see also The Polyphonic Spree, The Flaming Lips, Spiritualized, and of course Mercury Rev). But that was five years ago and it’s telling that their latest, Hopewell & the Birds of Appetite, is classified on iTunes as “rock” whereas The Curved Glass was “alternative.” With a self-contained riff that’s a close relative to Nirvana’s “Rape Me,” horns with a mind of their own, and drums bigger than the space between your earbuds, the euphoria finds an edge that’s more suited to Saturday night than Sunday morning.
Big Strides
The agressively jazzy feel of Soul Coughing? The vocal dexterity of Sublime? The funkiness of really old Chili Peppers? I’m not sure what I’m digging so much about the sound from the British trio Big Strides, or even if my fascination will last past the first snowfall here in Michigan. For now though, these boys have the bump I’m looking for. Check out “Strangely Inclined” to see if you are as the title suggests.
MP3s From New Twin Atlas Album
Numbers
NPR a few months back had a big piece on Mr. Moog, you know, the electronics wizard who a million bands owe a great deal of thanks to for his wonderous synthesizers, keyboards, and other musical instruments, if we can call them instruments. Turns out it’s pronounced Moog as in “toad”, not as in “moo.” Numbers, the band, are also indebted to Mr. Moog. This San Fran outfit churns out catchy tunes driven by pulsating keyboards, with a quirkiness that can be better understood by imagining Kraftwerk coming of age in the City by the Bay, where a bit of eccentricity is required by city ordinance.
Oh Yeah, the New Podcast
New Titles Added to 3hive’s Library
Pyramid
I’ve been sitting on this one for a while now. Note I say “sitting on,” not “sleeping on,” which is an important distinction because it means I’m more of a jerk than a slacker. Unlike many of the emails we receive in the ol’ suggestionbox(at)3hive.com, I actually downloaded these songs mere moments after Ryan recommended the Charlotte, NC-based octet. So here I’ve been, soaking in their smoldering, headphone-friendly country goodness lo these past couple months without even telling my closest friends about it. Please accept my apologies and let me make it up to you by providing you with a direct link to purchase their fine debut, The First American, as those Amazon and Insound links below probably won’t help much until they land a label or distribution deal.